There were several worthy morals to write about, such as family duty & loyalty despite craziness, heading towards the light (truth or hope), adapting to changing environments...but I'm going to focus on the quote by Eep, the rebellious teenage female protagonist - "That's not living, that's just not dying!"
Eep is part of a humorously dysfunctional cavemen family led by an extremely overprotective patriarch, Grug. All the other cave families have died off in the hostile environment and Grug constantly struggles to protect, preside over, and provide for his family (see "The Family: A Proclamation to the World") by teaching them to "Never not be afraid" (because fear of danger keeps them alive) and telling them didactic bedtime stories to show the deadly effects of curiosity. Restless Eep sneaks out one night and meets Guy, a lone teen nomad who tells her the world is ending and they must move towards the sun. Soon, Eep introduces him to her family, who come to depend on his innovative ideas to survive as their world is literally crumbling around them (major tectonic shifts are rocking their world, and not in a good way).
Eep's powerful quote comes at a crucial point when everyone sees the necessity of following Guy to go into the unknown, but Grug is pridefully staying put and clinging to his life philosophies, which are now life-threatening. Eep confronts her father and basically says she wants more in life than to just survive hiding in a cave, she wants to explore and enjoy it.
This is a powerful concept to me, and I have been thinking about it alot. I think because I started out as a rather shy and quiet child, I've always been inspired by quotes that push me to challenge myself in order to achieve something greater:
~ "I'd rather regret the things I have done than the things I have not." (Lucille Ball)
~ "A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." (William Shedd)
~ "You must do the things you think you cannot do." (Eleanor Roosevelt)
~ "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." (Neale Donald Walsch)
~ "Happy" (song by Leona Lewis)
Like Eep, I want to thrive, not just survive. I have many native DC coworkers who never ventured out to explore the wondrous opportunities around them - so sad. That's why I named my blog "DC to the Fullest". I'm not just here to work, eat, sleep, study, and go to church (though those are all necessary and good things). I want to live as an "permanent tourist", always seeking out new eye-opening and mind-broadening experiences that challenge and inspire me. I want to continually push out of my comfort zone until it grows to cover areas that previously daunted me.
Our beloved prophet Thomas S. Monson shared a wonderful message called "Living the Abundant Life" at the beginning of 2012. My favorite part was -
"Don’t limit yourself and don’t let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do. Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your possibilities. You can achieve what you believe you can. Trust and believe and have faith."In every major period of my life, I've strived to streeetch myself. It hasn't been easy, but I love looking back at my progress...
High School
~ Realized I could sing, joined choir, sang solos in front of large audiences.
~ Discovered The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, fought to join it despite parental disapproval, baptized on my 18th birthday - best decision of my life.
~ Parents wanted me to go to in-state college, went to Mormon college (BYU) in Utah instead, grew a ton and loved it.
~ Realized I could dance, fought to join the Pacific Ballroom Dance Company, danced in front of large audiences, gained whole new level of self-confidence.
~ Classically trained in piano for 5 years, teacher started to groom me for classical competitions, chose to play jazz/blues/ragtime/show tunes instead.
College
~ Forced myself to take leadership opportunities, mentored freshmen, took a public speaking class, taught American Heritage classes, led volunteer groups, vastly improved leadership skills.
~ Took Chinese classes, humbled by more fluent white classmates, worked extra hard to keep up.
~ Auditioned for BYU Ballroom Dance Company, failed, auditioned again - made it, helped prepare others.
~ Started dancing competitively, tried to dance Smooth/Standard gracefully and effortlessly, struggled to dance Latin seductively & flirtatiously, often looked & felt ridiculous, moved up on team, helped teach others.
~ Sang/danced/played piano at church talent shows, sang at "BYU Idol" - sucked, practiced more and kept performing anyway.
~ Confessed to a few crushes, rejected, learned lessons, moved on. (repeat during Post Grad)
Post Grad
~ Waited out unemployment for the ideal job, got good job, built up savings.
~ Felt educationally/ professionally/ romantically/ culturally stunted in Utah, quit good job, got temp job in DC, depleted savings to move there, got well-paying job with enormous benefits (including tuition), built up savings two-fold.
~ Applied for masters program at GW, hated masters program, applied to dream masters program also at GW, withdrew mid-semester from miserable grad program, accepted into dream program.
~ Moved into cozy condo in Utah with my own room, moved to DC for a shared room at twice the rent$.
~ Dad gave me a car, enjoyed it for 1.5 years, gave up car when moving to DC, now dependent on metro & friends for rides, humbled by the generous service of others.
~ Continued to compete ballroom in Utah after graduation, left ballroom heaven for DC, had major dance withdrawals (see blog post), tempted to move back, forced myself to take new dance/pilates/yoga classes, improved as a dancer.
~ Left deep friendships in Utah, made lots of good friends in DC, fooled most people as an extrovert (see blog post).
Besides the fact that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is TRUE, I love it because growth and progression are central to the doctrine. The refining process is rarely comfortable, because we are mortal and fallen (2 Nephi 2:22-25) but striving to become immortal and exalted (D&C 14:7). We can't merely sit around and avoid sin, we must also enter into sacred covenants to go out into the world to serve our fellow men (Mosiah 18:8-10), share the gospel, marry (Genesis 2:24) and raise up righteous children (Mosiah 4:14-15), and be an example of the believers (1 Timothy 4:12).
I love the principle of not only avoiding Sins of Commission (committing acts we shouldn't do), but also Sins of Omission (omitting acts we should do). We should NOT kill, steal, lie, cheat, or commit adultery. But we must ALSO serve, love, forgive, pray, study, and pay tithing. Among other things.
People without the Gospel can still be good and generally happy. But I testify - from firsthand experience and observations of many others' lives - that sacrificing worldly habits, building upon the goodness we already have, and adhering to the principles of the Gospel elevates one's life to unforeseen heights. The hope and purpose of Jesus Christ's life was to redeem and enhance our lives -
"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)The Gospel of Jesus Christ allows us to THRIVE, not just survive.
